Swooning, soft vocals serenely ascending and sweeping the skies, unveiling an afterglow, lacing emotion through a blazing, hazy swirl of loud droning guitars that swell and subside in an all-embracing ocean of sound.
Elusive Sound
TESTIMONIALS
“It’s a wonder. The sonic caverns are deeper, the vocals more assured, the space they inhabit is fully their own. Already critically lauded as one of the best albums in the genre in 2017, Blankenberge have carved out their own space in a scene that sometimes seems okay with “good enough”. Radiogaze is a pure and perfect shoegaze record – crystalline and euphoric from start to finish. While 2017 brimmed with exceptional talent and incredible albums, Blankenberge’s offering sparkles as this year’s crowning jewel.
DKFM Shoegaze Radio
There is a reason why Blankenberge’s 2017 album, Radiogaze, has been voted in many polls as one of the best shoegaze albums of the year. The sound is vast. Imagine MBV played in a cathedral instead of a small concert hall! The arrangements and textures are remarkable, even better when you think it is their first album.
Noise Artists
Blankenberge reach for decibel-smashing serenity a few hairs shy of shrill, allowing singer Yana’s vocals to hang brightly above the maelstrom.
Popmatters
Ian King
The Best Shoegaze and Dream Pop of 2017
“Blankenberge’s offering sparkles as this year’s crowning jewel“. – DKFM Shoegaze Radio
Elusive Sound proudly presents “Radiogaze“, the wondrous debut album by shoegaze/dream pop/dronegaze band Blankenberge . Based in Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation, Blankenberge create warm reverb-drenched, drone-raging songs that swell into soaring ethereal harmonies. Nostalgia, longing and hope has seldom sounded this alluring. Feeling lost has never sounded this liberating with Yana’s swooning, soft vocals serenely ascending and sweeping the skies, unveiling an afterglow, lacing emotion through a blazing, hazy swirl of loud droning guitars that swell and subside in an all-embracing ocean of sound. We are thrilled to announce that we will release “Radiogaze” on vinyl in 2018.
BIOGRAPHY
Blankenberge is a shoegaze/dream pop band based in Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation. The band consisting of Yana Guselnikova (vocals), Daniil Levshin (guitar, synth), Dmitriy Marakov (bass), Daian Aiziatov (guitar) and Sergey Vorontsov (drums) came together in 2015 to create dream-weaving and warm reverb-drenched, drone raging songs that swell into soaring ethereal harmonies.
The story of Blankenberge started in early 2015 in Barnaul, a small city in the south of Siberia. Daniil and Yana having returned from an inspiring trip around Europe, started composing several songs with some local friends some of which were later released on their first EP. They decided to name their band Blankenberge, in honour of a little town on the North Sea coast of Belgium which had really impressed them.
That very same year, Daniil and Yana decided to move to Saint Petersburg in search of more opportunities to develop their music. They not only found a beautiful and inspiring city but also the other three members of the band – Dmitriy, Daian and Sergey – who would help them evolve and refine their sound. Blankenberge performed regularly in Saint Petersburg and released their first self-titled EP on 12 March, 2016. The EP’s free-formed post-rock compositions with intensely melodic passages, heavy droning and a pure shoegaze sound, immediately drew in very enthusiastic reviews from shoegaze blogs from all around the world.
In July 2016, they were involved in a cover project «The Cure in other voices» where they presented a dark and noisy shoegaze version of «Pictures of you». Shows in Saint Petersburg and Moscow followed and the band immediately started composing new songs. The writing and recording process would take another year and a half. After unveiling a first single “We” on 12 March, 2017, Blankenberge finally released their debut full-length album “Radiogaze” digitally on 30 June, 2017. The album instantly won over the ears of shoegaze listeners worldwide with Yana’s swooning, soft vocals serenely ascending and sweeping the skies, unveiling an afterglow, lacing emotion through a blazing, hazy swirl of loud droning guitars that swell and subside in an all-embracing ocean of sound.
On july 18, 2017, Blankenberge officially signed to Elusive Sound. “Blankenberge create warm reverb-drenched, drone-raging songs that swell into soaring ethereal harmonies. We are thrilled to announce that we will be releasing their wondrous full-length debut album “Radiogaze” on vinyl in 2018”.
On September 10, 2017, Blankenberge were invited to film and record Radiogaze Live in session at a converted Lutheran church called Melody Studio. The live video footage was premiered on all of the band’s and label’s Facebook social media platforms.
On March 14, 2018 Blankenberge announced a Spring Tour of 2018 which saw them play nine shows in nine different countries. The tour kicked off in their hometown of Saint-Petersburg on 7 April and then covered most of Eastern Europe with an additional show in Vienna on 15 April. This Spring Tour ended in Minsk on 20 April.
TRACKLISTING
1. Disappear 04:36
2. Somewhere Between 06:04
3. Out Loud 03:46
4. Falling Stars 06:03
5. So Cold 04:14
6. Radiogaze 03:30
7. When 01:32
8. We 04:09
9. Not Enough 05:53
10. Hopeless 08:42
CREDITS
Blankenberge are Yana Guselnikova (vocals), Daniil Levshin (guitar, synth), Dmitriy Marakov (bass), Daian Aiziatov (guitar) and Sergey Vorontsov (drums)
Recorded by Vladimir Nosyrev
Mastered by Mikhail Kurochkin
Artwork by Daria Zhurina
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